The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
